HTML EDITOR:
Carlos Castaneda's first two books serve as an insightful initiation into don Juan's world. Unfortunately to us as readers, Carlos believed that mind alterants were necessary to break the barrier into don Juan's world. As a result, drug use served as the central theme of his first two books. Carlos eventually realized his error concerning why don Juan employed the Indian psychotropics, and Carlos explains his mistake in the Introduction of his third book.
This, Carlos' first book, "The Teachings of don Juan", spans the period of about the first five years of his relationship with don Juan Matus. Carlos quits his apprenticeship at the end of this first book, and for the following three years, although he still saw don Juan Juan regularly, Carlos considered himself as having ended his lessons.
Carlos' second book, "A Separate Reality", spans about two and a half years beginning from the time when Carlos consciously decided he was again a student of don Juan.
END HTML EDITOR
Carlos Castaneda was a graduate student in anthropology at UCLA, gathering information on various medicinal herbs used by the Indians in Sonora, Mexico, when he met the old Yaqui Indian, Don Juan.
The Teachings of Don Juan is the story of the first five years these two men spent together as master and pupil.
The sequels, A Separate Reality, Journey to Ixtlan, Tales of Power, The Second Ring of Power and The Eagle's Gift are all published by Arkana.
For Don Juan
and for the two persons who
shared his sense of
magical time with me...
- Carlos Castaneda